Jana Kramer has become a spokesperson against domestic violence, and as a result she was recently honored by Safe Horizon, an organization that helps survivors of abuse recover.

On April 5, Kramer was spotlighted at Safe Horizon's 2017 Champion Awards ceremony, where she received their Voice of Empowerment Award in recognition of speaking out against domestic violence. The singer gave an emotional acceptance speech in which she detailed the abuse she suffered through her first marriage to Michael Gambino.

Kramer recalled meeting Gambino when she was 19. He was 17 years her senior and she said things started "amazing" at first, until little insults turned into verbal and physical abuse.

“I thought that if I shared my story, that people would view me as broken [so] I held it in for 14 years,” Kramer told the audience. “It kept getting worse, and I didn’t know how to get out. I thought that it was my fault because he truly blamed me for everything. I lost all my friends. I got dropped by every agent and manager in the business because I was doing terrible at auditions and I truly felt like I was stuck."

Pausing to fight back tears, she recalled praying to her grandfather for help. The next day her husband choked her and said he was going to kill her. He then strangled her to the point of where she lost her breath and saw her life flash in front of her.

"I was a girl full of light, energy and charm, and this man just broke me down to absolutely nothing," she said. "I never understood why it happened to me but now knowing the platform I have, I want to be able to be a voice and be able to help as many people. It happened to me because God knew I could rise from it and be healthy."

Kramer separated from third husband, Michael Caussin, in 2016, citing his infidelity, but the singer says her ex is getting the help he needs. The couple have one child together, 1-year-old Jolie.